Fat Duck shuts in food poison scare

The decision to temporarily shut the Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, was taken on Tuesday as a precaution after customers reported feeling unwell, his spokesman said.

Tests by the TV chef's own food safety consultants and environmental health officers from Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council have so far proved inconclusive.

"It's not an easy decision to close the restaurant and there will be a lot of disappointed people who have bookings, but it has to be investigated," the spokesman said. "He wants to look after his customers - he is fanatical about food hygiene and he is flabbergasted as to how this could have happened.

"The restaurant will be closed for as short a time as possible but his priority at the moment is to the investigation."

The Fat Duck boasts three Michelin stars thanks to Blumenthal's "culinary alchemy" and was voted "the best place to eat on earth" by Restaurant magazine in 2005.

It is currently second only to Spain's El Bulli.

Food-lovers have to book months in advance to secure a table at the restaurant, where the tasting menu costs £130 and features snail porridge and scrambled egg and bacon ice cream.